Sheet-glass apparatus



Jan 12 li fifi-e 1 5 9 4 5 J. L. DRAKE SHEET GLASS APPARATUS Filed April 50, 1925 2. Sheets-Sheet- 1 'INVE NT DEL 610.5%? A. Drake.

VMAZ AT T I] H N E xi jan. 12 1926. 1,569,465

J. L.. DRAKE SHEET GLASS APPARATUS Filed April 30 1925 eets-Sheet 2 q J 7 INVENTUPL T WW4 0 0/70 L, Drake. 17 l :2. 3- T1 a 7 ATT 13;; NEY.

JOHN LcDTE-AKE, OF TQIJEDO, D310, ASSIGNOR T THE LIBBLEY-OEVENE GREEK UGWEPALHY, Q1? TOLEDO, GHIO, A CORFORE'IION 0F ilHKO.

s asmehass asrasawos.

Applicatici: filed April 36, 1925. Serial. No 26,924.

To all who 27?, it may concern-,- Fig. 6 is an end View of a roll mounting Be it known that L dorm L. DRAKE, a for a set of rolls, g

citizen cf the United States, residing at Fig. 7 is an elevation of a portion. or the Toledo, in the, county of Lucas and State sheet transfer mechanism, and

8%- of Ohio, have i'nve lied new and useful Im- Fig. 8 is a fragmeota-ry elevation of a provemetnts in Sh et-Glass Apparatus, oi portion of the gob feeding mechanism. which following is a specification. Plate glass blanks are or manly termed 5d The present invention relates to sheet by rolling a large mass of glass upon a suitglass apparatus,v and has particular refable table. This process of memitact'ure 1e erence to means for forming sheets oi glass, quite expensive dne'to the necessary manual especially well-adapted for use as olate glass labor required, and also because 01? the blanks. amount of glass rolled out in this manner 69 All important object of the ii'wention is which is not usuahle in plate mam? to provide an apparatus whereby plate glass facture. Molten glass discharged upon a m hie-mks can easily "lil quickly he formed, the table will set up and become viscous very .saici ""lanks being; exceptionally fiat and havrapidly and it is quite clifiicult to roll the ing accurate predetermined LllIl'XGDSiOUS. mass of glass into a sheet blank of the deheather object of the invention is to prosired thickness. Also because of the fact vkle a process and apparatus for producing that the sheet is quite irregular by being Elli sheets of glass adapted for use in plate glass formed in this manner, it is necessary to manufacture, the said blanks being formed create ablank much thicker than the thickhy creating a gel) glass and permitting ness cf the finished sheet desired to allow 7Q the gob of glass to he rolled through beforthe removal of sufiicient glass during the tween a plurality of sets of polished rolls. grinding and polishing operationsto give m A further object is to provide a gob feel a plate glass sheet which is absolutely "aniing eppalgatus to pick up and discharge sucform in thickness ancl fiat throughout. cessiv'e gobs of glass of a predetermined size, It is an aim of the present invention to and providing means adapted to quickly roll provide process and apparatus for rapidly the gob into sheet form, the saial'sheet being and easily forming sheets of glass adapted as reduced through successive to a sheet for use in plate mamifacture. Be- 0t predetermineii dimensions. cause of the novel means employed it is Other objects and advantages of the in possible to produce a blank sub l'ftlflll" 8Q vention. will. become apparent during the I the same thickness as the thicknc o; the co oi the follow: description. finished sheet desired the blank Etlins 11. the drawings wherein like numerals are formed isyery flat and of a' uniform 1hikemployed to designate like parts 'hrougl1-- ness. In other Words, it is only necessary out the same, to leave suflicient glass for removal (luring 1. a fragmentary vertical. longithe grinding and polishing operations. In

i w .v tmlmal section th h we apparatus, addition to the ra'idity with which the 1 n I e0 2 is a top plan View oi the gob feed sheet blanks can he termed, the operation in me'chanism, entirely automatic in so far as the cllcha-rg .sig. ii is a vertical sectional view through ing and rolling of the glass is concerned.

the gob reducing means; or flattening; meoh- Broadly speaking, the apparatus consists anism, of tank containing a mess of molten glass,

45 ll 4 is a te; plan view otthc sheet a gob feeding mechanism adapted to form transferring 111cc" anism, a gob and to discharge it, and means Fig. 5 is sectional detail o'lf a portion ciatecl, With the discharge end of the gob cf the feeding mechanism, feeding mechanism for rolling a gob into presently be pointed out.

sheet "form. A transfer mechanism is also provided to permit the sheet to be deflected from the vertical plane to a horizontal plane as it is ordinarily desirable to feed the gob of glass, downwardly between sets of rolls. The sheet is then deflected so that it can be run through a horizontal annealing leer, although of course it could easily be run throu h a vertical leer if desired.

In ig. 1 the numeral designates a glass tank furnace which has connection with a 0t 11. The pct 11 is preferably mounte" upon a shaft 12 by which means it may be rotated ifor the purpose which will The mass of molten glass 13 is contained within the furnace 10 and pot 11. Arranged in proximity to the pot 11 is a gob feeding mechanism designated in its entirety by the numeral. 14. The gob feeder comprises a base 15 sup- F r upon the trackway 17 whereby the gob feeding.mechanism-may be moved to and from an operative position. 'Acent'ral post or shaft 18 is carried by the base 15 and is 'adepgid to carry at its upper end a, doubletrae g mechanism 19 and 20 respectively, connected to the post by means of the spiders 21. The post and tracks are adopted to be held in a rigid position. A stationery bearing 22 is provided around which,- at its lower end isrotatablymounted, a sun Igeer 23 which has connection with :a drive pinion and source of power to rotate the same. A plate 24: and roller bearings 25 are providedto permit rotationof the sun gear 23 with the least possible friction and wear. A mold carriage '26 is also rotatable.

about the sleeve 22 and is moved'with the gear 23. Although- I have referred to the carriage 26 as, a mold carriage, the molds sh-ealled are not actually molds but are conteiners for carrying a gobor e char e cit glass 27 from the pot 1-1 to the sheet orming mechanism 28. The molds comprise a stationary section 29 and a movable section 30, and form, when closed as shown in. Fig. 1, a compartment 31 which is relstivel larger at its inner end than at its outer end, whereby the charge of glass 27 can be introduced within the compartment and will re main therein with assistance with very little difliculty. The sections arepivoted by means of the pin 32, the movable section 30 being formed into ml or being rigidly connected with the be. l-cranlt 33 carrying at its outer end the wheel or roller 34. The roller 34 is adapted to run along the track 20. as shown in Fig. 1. The track 20 is provided with a cam ortion 35 whereby the pivoted section 30 willbemoved to an. open position to permit the charge of glass 27 to be dropped therefrom. When roll rides oil the cammed portion 35, the-roll sections will again. be closed and ready} to pick up anupon the wheels 16 adapted to ride meet-es other charge or gob of glass. The gob of glass is introduced within the mold by dip and sent thrr i'ugh the sheet forming mechanism 28. The dipping of molds is accomplished by forming the second track 19 as indicated. in Fig. 8. The treeh' 19 is pro vided with the dip or canimed portion 3% having the relatively flat low spot 37. The

mold section 29 is carried on the arm 88 which is supported by means of the hanger and roll 39 riding on the trackwey 19. A

' guide opening 4 0 i provided to prevent displacement of the r lflduring operation. As i the molds are carriefimround the track and reach the cannned pdrtion 36, they will be dipped down sulliciently far to permit the end oi. the mold to become submerged in the or suction is created within the mold to draw up a charge of glass. To make it possible to continuously draw up a charge of molten glass from the mass 13, the pot 11 is rotated so that each mold will be dip Jed down into it diiliercnt part of the glass, t. us

preventing an excessive amount of heat ab:

sorption from the with subsequent do" vitrificationl As the mold rises out of the pot by means of the camn' ed portion, cutter knives are used to sever the gob from the glass within the pot 11:. The charge 27 is then retained in the meld until it is above the troughed end Q6 of the sheet forming mechanism where the roller as will ride out upon the rammed track section 35, opening the mold and permitting the gob 28 to be discharged therefrom. he gob is per"- mitted to run between the sets'oft rolls .24". The rolls 47- are arranged relatively far apart at the end 4.8 and reiatively close together at the end. 49. The rolls 49 def termine'the, thickness of sheet formed, end

are preferably mounted as indicated in Fig. 6 in adjustable journals 50, supported in -thel slidewey 51,-and normally urged toward each other by means of the safety springs. 52. By adjusting the journals by means of the adjusting screws 53, the distance between the rolls 49; can be varied for the formation of var ous thicknesses or sheet I shafts 61 carrying the blanks. The rolls are driven. preferably at a high speed by means of the shaftsfvi carrying bevel gears 55, meshing Withsimilar gears carried by the roll shafts, the said shafts 54 deriving power from the means The rolls are also preferably formed from a non-corrosive alloy and are providecl with a highly polished surface espeeially at the lower end 49 where the final reduction of the gel) 27 to sheet" form is had It will be seen that the go!) :37 reduced through successive stages to the desired'dimensions very rapidly so that one gob after another ran be diseharged and sent through between the rolls, thereby laeiliteting rapid manufacture of blanks to he used in plate glass manufacture. transfer meel'lanisin is preferably used at the discharge end of the sheet forming 'IHGCllzlDlSlll .28, whereby the sheet 57 run be deflected from the vertical to the lmrizontal plane where it is run. through an annealing leer 58 as will he understood. The transfer mechanism comprises he pivoted arms which may he moved by means of the hantile 60 or any form of operating mechanism. A conveyor, comprising a plurality of rolls 62, is provided, the said rolls being speoed to permit the arms 59 to he swung downwardly and to allow the sheet to he supported upon the rolls transferred to the leer rolls The shafts (31 may he rotated by tapping power from the leer drive shaft 6% by means of the bevel gears and 66 respectively, the gear 66 during one of the shafts 61 and carrying power through the others by means of the train of gears 7. A shock ahsorloin means 68 is provided to prevent fracture of the sheet when it strikes the transfer meehae nisni V After the -01) 27 has been discharged from the moles it is preferably held open .ss at 69 for length of time suflieient to permit the mold sections to rool, after which the roll rides off the oainuied track 35 and is ready to pick another gob. This operation is continued as one mold after another is dipped down Withintheglass and "picks up charge, after which it is rotated mound -end opened up to permit the gob to fall out and he passed through the sheet forming apparatus, Although but one sheet form' apparatus has been shown in combination with the gob feeding mechanism, oi viously two or three, or in fact any number of such mechanism can be associated with the gob felling mechanism, dependent upon the rapidity with which it is desired to manufacture the hinuks. .ln addition, the gel) feeding mechanism so mounted that it can be easily moved away for repairs, etc., while another similar mechanism. can he run into position and put into immediate use.

stages to sheet 6, In sheet glass apparatus, a tank containing a mass The size of sheet formed can be determined by the size of golo pickedup from the glass 13. This can either be controlled by the length of time the inold is dipped in the the suction created within the mold, or the size of mold.

' to he understood that the form of the i n'ention herewith shown and described is to be taken us the preferred embodiment of the same, and that various changes in the shape. size and arrangement of parts'may he resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the nib-joined claims.

Claims:

.l. l'n.sheet glass apparatus, a tank containing s mess of molten glass, means for picking up a charge of glass, and means for reducing the charge of glass through sue-- eessive stages to sheet form.

2. In sheet glass apparatus, a tank eontsining a mess of molten glass, a plurality of sets of rolls, and means for picking up a goh of glass from the tank and discharging it in e manner topermit the gobvto be run between the rolls to reduce it into sheet form. r

In sheet glass apparatus, a tank containing a mess of molten glass, means for picking up s got: oat-glass, and means for changing the gels into sheet form.

4;. In sheet glass apparatus, a tank containing a mess of molten glass, means for sucking up n gob of glass, and means for ehsnging'the gob intosheet form.

5. in sheet glass apparatus, a tank eontsining' s mass of molten lass, means for sucking up a gel) of the 5215s, and means for reducing tile gob through successive orm.

of molten glass, means for suckin up gob of the glass, and means for rel; ing the gob through sueeessive stages to a sheet havingpredetermined dimensions. '2. In sheet glass apparatus, a tank conteining e mess of molten glass, means for ending up at predetermined sized gob of glass, and means for rolling the gob through successive stages to a sheet of predetermined size I $3. in sheet gless epuaratus, e tank con- IOU lio

taming e mess of molten glass, gob feedin meeha/nism. .t'or sucking up gobs of less, an means for rolling the gobs throug succes sire stages to sheet for l 9, in sheet gloss app taming" u n'uess of molten glass, it gob feeding mechanism lien proximity thereto includ ing n'ieens adapted to he'olipped into the gloss and to suck up a gob of glass, and means for reducing the gob to sheet form.

10. In sheet! glass apparatus, a tank cone. mas/t: of molten glass, it gob feed erstus, stank eoning mechanism in proximity thereto including means a apted to be dipped into the glass and to suck up a gob of glass, and means for rolling the gob through successive stages to sheet form.

11. In sheet glass apparatus, a tank containing a mass of molten glass, a gob feeding mechanism arranged in proximity thereto including a plurality of molds, means for successively dipping the molds into the glass, means to introduce a ob of glass into each mold as it is dippe and means for reducingcach gob to sheet form. v

12. In sheet glass apparatus, atank containing a mass of molten glass, a gob feeding mechanism arranged in' proximity thereto including a plurality of molds, means for successively dippin the molds into the glass, means for sucTring a quantity of glass into each mold as it is cl pped, and means for reducing each quantity of glass into sheet form.

a 13. In sheet glass apparatus, a tank containing a mass of molten glass, a gob feeding mechanism arranged in proximity thereto, including a plurality of molds, means or successively dipping the molds into the glass, means for sucking a gob of glass into each mold as it is dipped, and means for reducing the gobs through successive stages to sheets of predetermined dimensions.

14. In sheetglass apparatusa tank contailiing a mass of molten glass, mechanism arranged I in including a plurality 0 means for successively dippin feeding roximity thereto sectional molds, '35

the molds when in closed position into the glass for pickingv up a gob of glass, means opening the gob, and means for the molds to release reducing the gob to sheet form.

15. The process of producing sheet glass, consisting in pickin%\up a gob of glass and then reducing it to s eet form.

16; The process of producing sheetglass,

consisting in suckin up a gob then reducing it to s eet form.

of glass and 17. The process of producing sheet glass,

consisting in sucking up a then redii'cing it through to sheet form.

gob of glass and successive stages 18'; The prdcess of producing sheet'glass,

consisting in suckingup a sized charge of glass and to sheet form.

Signed at Toledo, and State of Ohio, 1925.

JOHN L. DRAKE.

in the county of Lucas, this 28th day of April,

predetermined I then reducing it- 

